Namco Museum 50th Anniversary

"Fifty years and this is all we get?"

For fifty years, Namco has been in the industry, and while not all of it was spent making video games, they still managed to claim their place as one of the most prolific video game companies of all time. As they mark their fiftieth anniversary by releasing yet another package in their famous 'Namco Museum' line-up, you'd think it would be something noteworthy, right? Unfortunately, it seems Namco decided to focus solely on the games and didn't think about including anything extra in terms of trivia or classic history, which is a real shame, since with a company like Namco, you'd expect more from them.

Graphics: 10/10
At least the graphics are done right. Each game, from Galaxian to Rolling Thunder, is presented just like they were in the arcade, with no slowdown or loss in frame rate whatsoever. Even the smaller tidbits like seeing your car (literally!) go to pieces when it crashes in Pole Position 2 are still intact. The only complaint I have is with the game selection menu, which could've been made to look a lot more interesting.

Sounds: 8/10
In terms of the audio department, it sounds like (excuse the pun!) that they had some difficulty or something. In the older games like Pac-Man, Xevious, and Dig-Dug, the music is played in a slightly higher key than normal, and while it shouldn't really be much of a bother other than to purists, it makes you wonder whether it was intentional or they had some kind of problem in the sound department. As for the more 'modern' games like Rolling Thunder and Dragon Spirit, surprisingly they managed to keep the sounds in their original form for the most part. Disappointingly, though, while they managed to keep the 'Prepare to Qualify' voice in Pole Position, the sounds of your dragon screeching are missing from Dragon Spirit.

Another interesting thing that they added was some classic tunes from the 80s, including bands like Loverboy and the Fine Young Cannibals, and while they're nice to hear, you can only hear them in the game selection menu. The ability to hear them while playing would've been nice.

Controls: 9/10
The controls are responsive and always manage to get the job done right, but purists may yearn for an 'arcade-style' joystick for Pac-Man, or a steering wheel for Pole Position. Even without the 'original' styles of control, the standard controller isn't all that bad, although having to manually straighten the car in Pole Position may feel a little awkward to some players.

Replay: 6/10
For a compilation that celebrates fifty years, even if it's not all video game related, you'd expect to find quite a bit on this package. In terms of games, you've got quite a selection, like Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Galaxian, and Galaga '88, Rally-X, Sky Kid, Xevious, both Pole Position games, Bosconian, Mappy, Dig-Dug, Rolling Thunder, Dragon Spirit, and Pac-Mania. (Whew, what a sentence!) Unfortunately, if you're looking for tidbits of information about each game, you won't find any here.

Overall: 7/10
While Namco always seemed to have the right formula for fun with their previous Namco Museum compilations, it seems this time they forgot that formula just so they could squeeze in as many games as they could and call it an anniversary collection. While there are classic game fans who will probably enjoy this, there are also those who will be disappointed by the lack of extras that one would expect for a compilation like this.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/06/06